RALEIGH — Rod Brind'Amour's future with the Carolina Hurricanes might be decided today.

Canes general manager Jim Rutherford has previously stated that he wanted to make a decision to buy out the veteran before Thursday's free agent period opens up.

On Tuesday, Rutherford said the team had not decided on whether to buy out any players and would not address the cases of any specific players.

Brind'Amour, the team captain until midway through this past season, would make $3 million with the Canes this coming season. If the Hurricanes buy him out, they would still owe him $2 million.

According to the NHL's Collective Bargaining Agreement, the club has until 5 p.m. to give the center "notice of intention to exercise the Ordinary Course Buy-Out option." If the Hurricanes give Brind'Amour notice, they must offer to put him on unconditional waivers either before or "promptly after" they give notice of intent.

Statistically, this past season was Brind'Amour's worst since he started in the league with the St. Louis Blues during the 1988 Stanley Cup playoffs. He scored nine goals and 10 assists for a total of 19 points last season, finishing at a minus-29 in 80 games. The only comparable season for Brind'Amour was in 1999-2000, when he totaled nine goals and 13 assists and was a minus-13 in 45 games played with the Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers.

Earlier this month, Brind'Amour, who turns 40 in August, told The News & Observer he intended to fulfill the last year of his contract. He had given thought to retirement, though.

"Everybody thinks about it, whether they're two years in or 10 years in," Brind'Amour said. "You assess where you're at, what your goals for the future are. The only thing I would say, had things gone differently this year, I don't think anyone would be asking me what I'm doing next year. It sounded kind of weird when everyone was asking me at the end of the year, just because I still had a year left to play."

The Canes also face a potential buyout decision for forward Sergei Samsonov, who would be owed $2.8 million this season.